Obama, Romney trade jabs over jobs

Both on attack as polls show presidential race continues to be close

Associated Press

Published 11:37 pm, Thursday, July 19, 2012

Photo: Susan Walsh

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President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event at the Prime Osborn Convention Center in Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday, July 19, 2012. Obama is spending two days in Florida campaigning. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event at the Prime Osborn Convention Center in Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday, July 19, 2012. Obama is spending two days in Florida campaigning. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Photo: Susan Walsh

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Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, talks about jobs during a campaign stop at Middlesex Truck and Coach on Thursday, July 19, 2012, in Roxbury, Mass. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) less

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, talks about jobs during a campaign stop at Middlesex Truck and Coach on Thursday, July 19, 2012, in Roxbury, Mass. (AP Photo/Evan ... more

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, center, shakes hands with Rodney Hollis, an employee of Middlesex Truck and Coach, during a campaign stop on Thursday, July 19, 2012 in ... more

Photo: Evan Vucci

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Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the presumed Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a visit to Middlesex Truck & Coach in Roxbury, Mass., July 19, 2012. A New York Times/CBS News poll shows Romney essentially tied with President Obama among likely voters, for the first time since the Republican presidential primaries. (Evan McGlinn/The New York Times) less

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the presumed Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a visit to Middlesex Truck & Coach in Roxbury, Mass., July 19, 2012. A New York Times/CBS News poll shows ... more

Photo: EVAN MCGLINN

Obama, Romney trade jabs over jobs

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Campaigning in coveted Florida, President Barack Obama warned Thursday that Republican challenger Mitt Romney would be "squeezing more money out of seniors" by turning Medicare into a voucher program. Romney, firing away near his Boston home base, accused Obama of putting his needs above those of the nation.

The daily war of words came as polling shows the presidential contest continues to be close nationally, with both men pouring most money and attention into the collection of less than 10 states expected to decide the election. First Lady Michelle Obama launched a new effort to rally supporters behind her husband, saying the whole race could "come down to just a few votes per precinct in key states."

The President opened two days of campaigning in Florida in search of military veterans, seniors and unaligned voters in the state's crucial midsection. Florida is the largest and most coveted of the nation's Election Day toss-up states, a place where Romney could severely damage Obama's chances of winning re-election.

In Jacksonville, the President broadened his attack on Romney's support for a House Republican plan that would change Medicare from a fee-for-service program into one where future retirees buy insurance using government subsidies. Republicans argue it would introduce competition and give seniors more choices.

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"He plans to turn Medicare into a voucher program," Obama said. "So if that voucher isn't worth enough to buy the health insurance that's on the market, you're out of luck. You're on your own. ... We shouldn't be squeezing more money out of seniors who are just barely getting by right now."

Obama was later expected to make that pitch to seniors in West Palm Beach, where he will visit Century Village, a condominium complex that's home to thousands of retirees, long a bastion of reliable Democratic voters.

Romney, in hastily arranged remarks to reporters near Boston, kept the focus on the sluggish economic recovery under Obama's watch. He cited new government figures showing that the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose by 34,000 last week, a figure that may have been skewed higher by seasonal factors.

For a second day, he also mocked Obama for not having met with his advisory jobs council in six months while holding more than 100 fundraisers in that time. White House spokesman Jay Carney had said Wednesday that the President gets advice from the council all the time but also has "got a lot on his plate."